Strategic Communication and the Mediatization of the Belt and Road Initiative in Central and Eastern Europe: A Systematic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52152/RCR.V13.212Keywords:
Belt and Road Initiative; Central and Eastern Europe; strategic communication; mediatization; media framing; public diplomacyAbstract
This systematic review investigates how the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been strategically communicated and mediatized across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Drawing on peer-reviewed journal articles, policy reports, and regional media analyses published between 2013 and 2025, the study synthesizes existing scholarship on message framing, narrative construction, political communication strategies, and media–state dynamics related to the BRI. The review identifies three major research strands: (1) government-led strategic communication and public diplomacy efforts shaping the BRI discourse; (2) media framing practices that reflect national interests, geopolitical tensions, and societal perceptions within CEE countries; and (3) the mediatization processes through which political, economic, and cultural narratives surrounding the BRI become embedded in domestic and transnational communication systems. The findings reveal persistent discrepancies between official narratives and media framings, significant variation across CEE countries, and the growing influence of digital media ecosystems in shaping BRI-related public opinion. The review also highlights methodological gaps and suggests future research directions, including comparative multimodal communication analysis and the integration of computational social science approaches.
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